Legion 1×05 recap: 4 times things twisted on us

When a show’s focal point surrounds a character who is either a mutant or schizophrenic, it’s gonna have some twists and turns along the way. Legion 1×05 decided to pack a bunch of storyline mind[redacted]s in one 66-minute punch.

Just about everything you thought you knew about Legion the show changed in chapter 5. Let’s be brave and dive in group therapy-session style.

David and Sydney can touch!

There’s one thing you can count on from David Heller. He always uses his head.

David has come back from his previous visit in memory land, and this time he just seems stronger. He has a certain swagger about him that was missing before. It appears as though he’s really stepped into his powers and is capable of using them to cater to his needs. One of those needs it being able to focus on a single person to have a conversation with their thoughts. The other is his relationship with Sydney – and the brain is the most erogenous zone.

David and Syd are finally able to be together “physically”, and they don’t waste their time. We also get a really vulnerable look into Sydney’s past, which is probably the main reason why she’s still afraid to use her power today. We also get a deeper look into just how capable David is when he wants to manipulate a situation.

Point is everything is wonderful and peachy! David and Syd are just laying around showing off their butts. As long as David can control the situation they will live happily ever after.

As long as David can control the situation…

Lenny ain’t just Benny

Do ya though, Dave?

…Welp. So much for that.

I knew Lenny was one of David’s bigger demons when it came to his mental state. What I didn’t know is Lenny also plays the role of the family dog, a terrifying children’s book character, and some blob thing that destroys anything in its path.

It seems pretty obvious in hindsight. With someone struggling with schizophrenia and mutation, why wouldn’t one demon be all the demons? However, I think the show does such a good job making the characters so different it’s tough to narrow down what’s what. That’s a big part of what makes the reveals bigger “wow” moments.

If we found out how capable David is of manipulating a situation with Sydney, we also now know how capable he is of straight destruction. That blob thing is no joke, twirling and snapping its fingers en route to burying guys under concrete and turning them into smoke. Its one of the reasons why Melanie Bird wants David on her side when the war goes down. It might not be the main reason.

Bird is the selfish word

Pretty good chance I’m way out in left field on this one. And if you read the comics and it’s not true this will seem even dumber. But this show is crazy and I’m taking a shot so deal with it.

Melanie Bird has given all indications her husband is a driving factor in this whole situation with David. Ptonomy even called her out on it, and she got so caught I’m surprised she didn’t just pull the “repeat the question so you have more time to make up a lie” move. She’s also been open to suggesting that David can bring her husband back to Cary.

The point is I think she’s a problem more than a solution. When there’s a war of this magnitude being stirred up, motive that is focused on anything but that is a liability. When your army’s leader has a different motive, it can be a result changer.

Wait…THAT LAST SCENE

You know I really thought I had a handle on Legion 1×05. The episode was coherent for the most part, things were happening in some semblance of an order, and we were FINALLY getting some character answers.
I really should know better by now.

I haven’t decided if Noah Hawley and Co. deserve credit or not for insinuating that this whole narrative is in Sydney’s mind. On one hand, this is a classic twist we’ve come to expect from Legion five episodes in. On the other, this storyline really sets a precedent of the producers to be able to go “OK this is a thing now out of nowhere.”

I’m all for new and different. The cookie-cutter path of Hollywood making better movies from adapted screenplays than original screenplays bothers me more than most. I do like some kind of linear development with my shows however, and Legion continues to have less and less.

But what do I know? At least the show is different. And who teaches us to be normal when we’re one of a kind, anyway?

About Steve Richards

First and foremost, I love anything Philly sports; that includes the Phillies, Sixers, Eagles, Flyers and Union (that’s a soccer team). I’m also a fan of the English Premier League squad Manchester City. In the college ranks, I follow the football, basketball, and baseball teams of both Penn State and the University of Texas. I work for SportsNetworker.com, where I am the COO. I also cover a variety of high school sports for The Reporter and PaPrepLive.com as a freelance writer. On the broadcast journalism side of things I’m a co-host of the Prime Time Fantasy Football and Showcast podcasts on Next Level Radio. You can check that out right here. You’ll also find me on Twitter discussing a multitude of things. Feel free to give me a follow over there.

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About Steve Richards

First and foremost, I love anything Philly sports; that includes the Phillies, Sixers, Eagles, Flyers and Union (that’s a soccer team). I’m also a fan of the English Premier League squad Manchester City. In the college ranks, I follow the football, basketball and baseball teams of both Penn State and the University of Texas.

Currently, I'm a project manager for a company called Project Life Mastery. It's a company whose ultimate purpose is to grow, give, and support people in reaching their ultimate goals in life. We have a lot of fun while also being productive and helping people. Check us out when you have a chance.

As a writer I'm a freelance reporter for my local newspaper, The Reporter, and PaPrepLive.com. I cover a variety of high school sports on those platforms. I also write a variety of pop culture content for an awesome site called Pure Fandom.